Rick Mayer
Digital ProducerI’m the online producer for Health News Florida, a collaboration of public radio stations and NPR that delivers news about health care issues.
This is an important position at WUSF. In 2019, the typical U.S. family spent about 11 percent of its annual income on health care, so it stands to reason issues of cost, quality, access and innovation are consequential to all Floridians. Then COVID-19 came along, and the weight of these matters gained exponentially. I take our reporting on these topics quite seriously, as I’m sure you do, too.
Literally growing up in newsrooms and a little serendipity along the way prepared me well for the post. Here’s the abridged version: I’m a Tampa guy, graduating from H.B. Plant High and thrust into the world with my USF degree rolled tightly in hand. From there, it was three mostly sleepless decades as an editor at The Tampa Tribune, then developing and managing an online journal serving physician executives. There’s also my side job editing a statewide health magazine.
And being married to a longtime hospital nurse/case manager helps; dinner conversation often gives me a feel of what’s happening on the front lines. The good and not-so-good.
Of course, my time isn’t always spent flailing in the health news vortex. You’re actually more likely to find me breaking down the Bucs, Bulls or Bolts after a game, taking Oodle the poodle to the dog park or tinkering the backroom piano while vicariously reliving my former life as a musician. (Remember, kids: Parents of percussionists have plenty of patience. Plenty!)
Contact Rick on X @rmayer2361 or by email at Mayer1@wusf.org.
-
Hodgson is joining a school in the Big East Conference, a basketball-first power league rich in tradition, resources and national exposure. -
UT defeated USF in their tournament opener, but both Tampa Bay squads finished with 1-2 records and missed out on the Frosty Four semifinals. -
The Bulls missed 20 of their first 21 3-point attempts and fell behind by 23 points in the second half before going on run over the final 11 minutes. But it wasn't enough to overcome the Cardinals at the end. -
Florida, the top seed in the South Region, plays Prarie View in the first round on Friday night at Benchmark International Arena. UF Coach Todd Golden says the proximity to Gainesville is "fantastic." -
The team is revising the proposed ballpark roof after an independent analysis suggested the design could cost at least $300 million more than expected. Public funding and construction timelines remain uncertain. -
Culpepper, a Tampa attorney, is the son of ex-Buc Brad Culpepper and Monica Culpepper, both competitors on "Surivivor." He was recently engaged. Details of the crash in Georgia were not available. -
U.S. News & World Report evaluated ambulatory surgery centers across four specialty areas: orthopedics and spine, ophthalmology, colonoscopy and endoscopy, and urology. -
In "Missing Me," writer Ayana Lage recalls the harrowing weeks after her daughter’s birth, when she recalled hearing voices (God?) and struggled to distinguish reality from delusion. -
Florida will open defense of its title at Benchmark International Arena in the South Region on Friday against the winner of a First Four game between Prairie View A&M and Lehigh. -
The Bulls will open on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. against Louisville in Buffalo – a homecoming for Coach Bryan Hodgson. They earned the bid by beating Wichita State in the American tournament final.
